Threads of Fallen Angels
by Parodys
Summary: Jubilee's journey into the dark arts leads her to a confrontation with Gen X. Co written with Ambrosia.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: Marvel characters and Charmed belong to their respective owners, Druwyn and certain demonic characters are ours. :)   


Parodys' A/N: I tried a new format of fic with my baby sis who has brilliant ideas. In short, this fic is like snippets of moments strung together that will hopefully make sense. No continuing dialogue etc. This is fiction folks, stay calm. Haven't you ever wondered what an evil Jubes would be like? Ta da! The word magick is used to distinguish from magic (eg rabbit in the hat kind of tricks). THIS IS ALL PRETEND!! Now on to the show...  
  
Ambrosia's A/N: Just using my creative side :). There's nothing much to say except, most of my writing is a little dark, so read on.....   
  


Threads of Fallen Angels

by: Parodys and Ambrosia   
  
  
  
I won't start at the beginning, but I'll write down bits and pieces and then put them together at the end, it'll make more sense that way. Wolvie had disappeared when I had most needed him- when Ev had died. No one noticed my pain, my suffering. So why should I care about them? That was when I started going out at night, away from the watchful eyes of Emma and Sean. What did I do? Anything I wanted, for once not held back by the team, I was going to have a little fun. It started off with little things first, nothing big, nothing dangerous, but small.   
  
I met Druwyn at the gathering, a little get-together some of my more interesting acquaintances had invited me to. They weren't a proper coven, just some people getting together discussing the basics of the Craft. I had been going for awhile, ending up at the meetings more and more often. But it wasn't enough, the measly little house spells and candle magick didn't fill the yearning void within me. It left me wanting. It was Druwyn who led me to something more. He had been looking for a student, potentials with the power to carry on his knowledge, honed ever since he was just a small child. He was looking for a partner to help him, to be a companion. He found me.   
  
-in-  
  
Druwyn and I had been arguing for the past three weeks. Each night we got together it would be the same argument, the same opinions and it never changed. After I had been initiated into his care, I began spending nights and days with him, always returning to the school after the rituals or spells had been completed. The first time I came back to the Academy after three days with Druwyn, Emma had been furious. I had just climbed in through my window, the fresh paint smell still lingering, but unable to cover the thick stench of smoke and charcoal. She had screamed at me, "I don't care where you've been, the last thing I want are excuses from you. From now on I want you at home, in bed, no later than 11pm. Do you understand. You are no longer allowed to leave your room."   
  
I just looked around the four pristinely white walls that once held my life. "You give me my room back and I'll come home." Emma turned a pale white, spinning on her heels and walked out. I couldn't really tell if she was just furious or hurt. I didn't really care either.   
  
After that I came and went as I pleased, never being gone longer than three days. Emma never mentioned it again.   
  
I had been practicing for over a year now, and I was fairly good. Very good in fact. So good that I wanted to call up a spirit. My mentor didn't think I was ready, and I did. I was going to prove him wrong.   
  
You would think that over twelve months of teaching would have made blessing the circle and salt second nature to me. Guess who managed to forget one of the core elements of the ritual in any spell? Guess who had a demon ready to tear her throat out when Druwyn burst in?   
  
He just stood and stared at us for a moment, his dark brown hair tousled from running. "You just had to do it didn't you?"   
  
I shrugged, glancing back at demon who had chosen the form of a 5 armed, green monster thing that was currently drooling on the carpet. "It seemed like a good idea."   
  
"I warned you about this didn't I? Three days of warning you in lessons, and three weeks of trying to convince you. What were you trying to call up?"   
  
"Obviously not dragon breath over here." I fished some tictacs out of my robe and tossed them to the monster, who caught the mints and stared at the tiny white pills in confusion. I guess not many people had offered it tips on better breath hygiene, and that's why it was actually popping some into it's mouth rather than tearing me limb from limb. Egotism in the underworld, ya gotta love it.   
  
"So exactly how do you plan to get yourself out of this?" My mentor asked dryly.   
  
Not terribly concerned I waved my hand and muttered some incantations that I thought would do the trick. Needless to say the key word in that sentence was "thought". The demon just stood there, laughing at my feeble attempts to send it away, and it smiled at me...sending a chill of fear in my bones.   
  
"Child, you really think you can banish me with some measly words? Do you have any idea who you raised?"   
  
"Something ugly and that stinks."   
  
"Wrong." It's voice was grating, like a man being dragged over shards of glass. "I'm going to be the cause of the end of your existence. Your soul is mine witch."   
  
I burst out laughing at that point, as he stared at me with obvious disapproval. Somehow I got the feeling this wasn't the proper etiquette for pre-soul eatings. "Give me a break! "What not got enough time in the underworld so you're stuck watching b- horror flicks." I just shook my head, giggles still escaping from my lips each time I looked between my mentor and the demon. "Your soul is mine witch? Please! You got that off of Charmed didn't you? Come on! Fess up!"   
  
"Ahem, Jubilee...you might wanna..." Druwyn cleared his throat and motioned frantically at me. What you ask? Hell if I know...I was on a roll.   
  
"Which brings me to another point, what's up with the green skin and five arms? That was done years ago. Have you ever given any thought to expanding your repertoire? Like oh, I dunno, being actually scary?"   
  
"Jubes! This might not be the best..."   
  
"And what's up with your voice? Can you at least try some gargling or mouthwash. I'm not asking for a lot here but when someone's going down it'd would be polite to make it semi pleasant for them."   
  
"Oh crap."   
  
"So do you demons get born this way or was your mother this ugly? I ...ack." One green hand closed around my neck, passing though my circle that I had failed to complete.   
  
"The things I do for you." Druwyn muttered and withdrew his athane from his robe. Inscribing some symbols in the dirt, a burst of blue light rose up from the earth and hit the demon, who dropped me as he howled in pain.   
  
Roaring furiously, he lunged at the young man, tearing his claws across his belly. Holding his stomach, Druwyn reached out to me and I held him, giving him the strength he needed to finish the spell. With the last word uttered, the demon burst into a volley of white light, and I could feel his presence leave the room.   
  
We sat in utter silence for a few seconds before the oozing wetness in my hands reminded me that my mentor was fatally injured, or would be if I didn't get him taken care of soon. With loving care, I tightly bound his stomach, searing the wounds with a paff just so that as I dragged him home, they would not bleed. Once we were in his apartment, I laid him out on the living room floor and faced the five gaping slashes across his torso. Dru had never liked hospitals but I would have dragged him there any way if I had thought for one second that the doctors in their white coats and shiny degrees could remotely help with demon poisoning.   
  
Luckily Druwyn had kept a fantastic first aid kit for emergency that didn't quite deal the average scrapped knee kind of thing. So, after washing the gashes out, and praying that he wouldn't wake up, I stitched him back together, a constant prayer under my lips that the Goddess would guide my hands.   
  
It seemed like I had spent hours, days even tightly stitching him together, piece by piece, periodically flushing them out with alcohol so that the demon's festering poison wouldn't linger. It was midday before I finished, and had tucked him in bed. I watched him even as I washed the dried blood off of my hands, there was no way he was going to die with me here. No matter what the cost, I would stay and watch over him.   
  
In the days that followed I had to duck out every once in awhile to get some funds to buy food and medicine. It's amazing what people leave right out there in the open behind barbed wire, security systems and safety deposit boxes. It was around two weeks later that Dru was able to sit by himself without too much pain, his bare stomach lined with stitches tracking across his belly, vivid reminders of what I had done to him.   
  
Weeks went by before he was strong enough to sit up, let alone take care of himself. I don't think that I even went back to the dorms during that time, I couldn't have cared less what Emma was thinking, only that I had almost killed my mentor. The incident with the demon had done something that Bastion, kidnappings, being held hostage, and near death had failed to do- scare the hell out of me. I think I grew up more in those two months I was caring for Dru than the entire time I was with the X-men.   
  
By the time Dru was able to be semi up and about again, I had managed to gain somewhat of a reputation among the disreputables in our little town. The police were baffled about the recent thefts that were happening around the neighborhood, where valuables were lifted without the slightest trace of fingerprints or a presence. Thank you Remy and Wolvie. My little shopping sprees had managed to accumulate to a nice sum of several thousand dollars, which I tucked away in a few accounts left over from my parents' time.   
  
I was riding high as a kite for awhile there, proud as hell that I could baffle the police (and anyway I was just taking care of a friend, right?) and getting a nice little chunk of pocket change. To quote an infamous actor, good times, good times. Right? Suuurrrre.   
  
Nightmares have always been a major part of my night. If it isn't Sabretooth after my blood, it's seeing Ev die in front of me again, or my parents walking away, or Wolvie deserting me one more time. Now my nightmares had gone from freaky to totally and utterly wet your pants, blood curdling scary. Yep, you guessed it, the demon that I had accidentally called up was making a housecall in my dreams. To put it mildly he was pissed and was determined on making my nights hell as revenge. Isn't it nice to be loved? 

To make matters worse Emma had started poking her nose into where she had no business going. Big surprise right? I would deal with her later, but for the moment, I had to worry about Druwyn. Ever feel like sometimes the entire deck is stacked against you but instead of being made of paper their made of concrete and just waiting to topple on you? Let's just say that I was currently holding an umbrella for the upcoming onslaught and it was full of holes.  
  
-in-

Ya like it? Hate it? Review away and please let us know what you think. Ideas are always loved...so plot bunnies come on down! 


	2. A spoonful of sugar anyone?

Disclaimer: Yadda yadda yadda. I don't own the Marvel characters. I own Druwyn.  
  
A/N: It just keeps on getting weirder and weirder.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
I never claimed that I was the smartest of the bunch. That was Paige's claim to fame. I ran into her about three weeks after Dru got hurt when I was digging through my closet for clean clothes. Hey! I'm the farthest thing from Martha Stewart in our little group, even Wolvie had better homemaking skills than I do. Believe it or not that man can whip up a mean omelet.   
  
She was working out to one of her idiot exercise videos, apparently not at all bothered by my absence. Jane Fonda sweated her stuff on the screen as Paige toweled off and glared at me. "Where have you been?"   
  
"Out."   
  
Flinging the towel down at my feet she huffed and gave me one of her "you're so immature" looks that I always used to get whenever I had done something particularly ingenious to Sean. "When are you going to grow up?"   
  
"Who says I haven't?"   
  
"Everyone that's ever met you maybe? You haven't been with us on any of the missions. What's going on with you?"   
  
"I'm a bratty teenager with nothing better in my life than to cause havoc and mayhem. Isn't that right Paige?" I shoved some semi-clean clothes in my backpack, figuring that I could wash them over at Dru's house. It would be too much longer before Paige went squealing to Emma that I was back, if she hadn't already.   
  
She stared at me for a moment, like I had lost my mind and then she got angry. "What makes you think that you have no responsibilities? We all lost Everett, not just you. The more you keep running, the more you prove that you're still just a brat that everyone thinks you are."   
  
What she wasn't prepared for was me getting angry in return. I walked up to her, so angry I could feel my hands clenching as they tried to contain the power rushing around in my veins like 100 proof liquor. "Yes, you all lost Ev too. I loved him. I've seen more death and hurt then you ever will in your lifetime little girl. Don't you ever talk to me about responsibilities, because all you've ever had to worry about is yourself. Even while on this so-called team I had to watch out for myself when no one else would. I saved myself when no one came to rescue me. I comforted myself when no one did. So don't you ever pretend like you know me."   
  
I could feel Emma practically running from her office across the campus, and without another word, I ducked out the window and left. Exits were always my forte, and leaving is infinitely easier than entering a room no matter who is inside.   
  
So, I got back to apartment tired and angry. Not the best combo for doing anything and yet I still felt like shoving everything back in everyone's faces and calling that stupid demon up. I had managed to complete the circle and the words were almost out of my mouth when I almost choked on them.  
  
Now let me get one thing straight, I'm not afraid of anything. Even Sabretooth has lost his boogyman factor after everything that's happened. And yet, that damn voice whispering inside my head kept on saying what if? In my life the 'what if's' become 'probably' and 'definitely' more often than not. Actually almost always. Sometimes I think that whatever deity is up there is rolling my fate with a weighted pair of dice.   
  
Am I changing the subject, you're wondering? Hell yeah. To make it short, I did chicken out that time. Notice the use of the wording, there were plenty of other times I called up demons. I already warned you I wasn't the brightest so don't look that surprised.   
  
-in- Magneto paid me a little visit today. Apparently he heard about my 'little defection' from certain circles as he put it. Even the prof has no idea about what's been going on in my life, Emma doesn't like to admit failures and telling him would be against her very nature.   
  
Draped in black he stood on the rooftop, his cloak swirling dramatically around him. Puh-lease. "Join us, they have deserted you and we will be your new family."   
  
I rolled my eyes. "Lemme guess, because you are really my father and you want me to join the dark side?"   
  
"Huh?"   
  
References to pop-culture are beyond him and I think he took it seriously. Long story short I told him to shove it, in places that aren't polite to talk about in certain company. Not mine, but I don't know who might end up reading this.   
  
"Magneto, dear?" Wolvie would have known to be afraid of that tone in my voice. Mag's however, was blissfully ignorant.   
  
"Yes child?"   
  
"Don't ever make false promises to me again."   
  
Magneto may have control over the polarity of the earth, but I have a lot of repressed anger at several people that I can pull on. In hindsight I really didn't mean to blow up the two buildings next to the one I was on. Oh well, live and learn. Or maybe not, it was pretty cool in the first place.   
  
I like the feeling, the power that surged through my veins pulsing and throbbing like fire filling every crevice of my being. There are some levels that even Druywen wouldn't teach me and I spent the rest of the night finding someone who would cross that unspeakable boundary. Why, you ask? Like Remy said once, how can you know your limits if you don't push every boundary? Besides, I was protecting Dru while he recovered, right?   
  
Fear had always controlled my actions. Xavier and his precious ideals had been ingrained into me like a brainwashing mantra; you can't hurt, you can't maim, be careful; save the bad guys even if we end up dying. I never pushed, I never saw how far I could take it. Remy has severely destructive powers and Beast still tested him to see how far it could be carried. The specifics were never revealed but I got the impression that our demon-eyed friend could level city blocks on a whim. Call me jealous but I wanted to see if I could do the same.   
  
-in-  
  
"Again!"   
  
The old crone spat a wad of tobacco at the floor, not bothering with my feet that happened to be right under her. Keep in mind I'm guessing that she was old. In the entire month that I had spent working under her, I had yet to see her face. She kept to the shadows, her face always obscured by the darkness. Odd, yes. However, it was worth it since she came recommended by everyone I asked. Gelt was supposedly the best in the business, I didn't doubt it as soon as I was in her presence for more than a minute. This woman radiated power. Somehow I must have passed her test because she ordered me to gut several chickens for her dinner. I was to gain a familiarity with the insides of chickens in a way that didn't appeal to me at all. In the old days I used to contemplate taking some med classes and taking over for Hank as the Gen X doctor. After three days of scraping out several feet of entrails, I was firmly convinced that Hank would remain the family doctor for quite awhile longer.   
  
Some of the things she made me do those first few weeks I won't even mention since I personally don't want to recall them and secondly it isn't pretty. What I did learn was that blood has a powerful hold on things, and surprisingly emotion carries even more weight. With her I learned how to hone my emotions to split second timing. Rage could be called up with the same finesse as happiness.   
  
Remember the whole Peter Pan deal, think a happy thought and fly? It was the same deal only we got to call up forces of supernatural power that could do really neat stuff. Let's get a few things straight, shall we? First of all there is only so much a person can do or tap into by themselves. This is where demons come in, they have powers and can do a million things humans can't. Calling up a demon into a circle of your making puts it under your power. Calling up a demon into a circle that isn't complete puts it under no-one's power which makes it dangerous. Anyone in the audience like to tell us where there was an example of that in the story? Good.   
  
Mutants, however are a different story. Our ability to manipulate power makes us stronger than the average human, but less than the average demon. It doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things but it does have the nice bonus of amplifying our powers to the point where we could make some of the humans very very nervous.   
  
Training under Gelt was far from fun, and at times boring as hell. What it did however, was provide me with information that no one else was willing to give me. I was almost finished with her tutelage when I decided to spend a day shopping at the mall. It had been months since I had been and I needed some new clothes and shoes since I had been invited to a party put on by Gelt. Since it was the first one I wasn't actually serving people, I thought it might be nice to go.   
  
I started shopping at 11am and by about a quarter past, I had police asking me if I would 'mind coming with us'. I remember looking at them with this incredulous _expression for a total of five seconds and then started sprinting towards an exit. If I had been thinking even slightly clearly, I could have just thrown up a glamour and hidden in the crowd. Did I already mention that I'm not that smart?   
  
Let me say this right up front, jail is fun. I got introduced to several hookers, one pimp, three drug dealers, and a streaker. Kind of like the twelve days of Christmas of the dysfunctional. I know Emma wasn't hoping for me to make new contacts when she reported me as a runaway to the police, but then she can't always get what she wants all the time. Personally, I was looking forward to her explaining the whole deal to Xavier and Wolvie. Then again, if either of them had even cared in the slightest they would have found out about me already.   
  
Getting put in an actual jail cell isn't the usual procedure for runaways but after I broke some cop's kneecap and dislocated his arm, they wussed out and locked me up with the hookers, or as they like to be called male needs attendants. Emma always used to harp on and on about how I had all of these latent telepathic powers that I was afraid to use. She was right on the fact that I had telepathic powers, she was wrong about the fact that they were latent and I was afraid to use them.   
  
Let me tell you a little of how my conversation went with the police officer when I finally got bored enough to make an effort to leave.   
  
"Weenie boy! I wanna make a phone call."   
  
He glowers at me like he's never been called that before. Sure. "Who you going to call?"   
  
"None of yer damn business."   
  
"Then you can't make a call."   
  
Keep in mind that up until that point I was almost willing to wait and talk to Emma. I don't take 'jerk' well. "Ever watch the movie Mary Poppins?"   
  
He didn't get a chance to answer as he suddenly became overwhelmed with the urge to sing. Amazingly enough, so did all of his buddies. I have to admit, seeing ten or fifteen guys shake their stuff to showtunes was good. Getting them on the evening news was priceless.   
  
All I had to do after the boys left was paff the locks and hit the road. I was almost home when a heard a chuckle in my ear. "Ya got style kid. Not bad."   
  
Ever heard of that old fable that there's a devil whispering in your ear? Total malarkey. Change it to a demon and you've come closer to the fact. "Tired of haunting my dreams?"   
  
He shrugged. "Dreams people can wake up from, you can't wake up if you're already conscious."   
  
Sighing, I wondered if there was a point to his diatribe and mentioned that fact to him.   
  
"Most people would have been reduced to a blubbering mass of tears after a couple of nights with me. It's been weeks and nothing." He sounded slightly indignant. "Nothing!"   
  
Trying to sound convincing, I put on a mild _expression of suffering that I hoped was at least remotely realistic. "I've been terrified for nights on end. I dread falling asleep at night because I know you're waiting for me."   
  
He looked slightly skeptical.   
  
"Really."   
  
Dropping heavily on my shoulder, he sat down and threw his hands up in the air. "Women! You're being nice to me aren't you?"   
  
"Yes. Now would you mind terribly if you left me alone? I have a couple of issues with mommy dearest."   
  
Perking up slightly, he looked up interested. "Are you going to make the Frost woman scream in pain and writhe with unspeakable torture?"   
  
I paused, the idea definitely had merit but Emma deserved far, far more than that. For all of you reading, don't worry I wasn't about to kill the woman but I don't take kindly to being taken in the police because Emma's too chicken shit to do anything herself.   
  
The only good thing about living with Gen X for the better part of two years is that I know Emma inside and out. I know what keeps her up at night, and the deep dark secrets that make up her nightmares.   
  
The demon looked at me intrigued, my thoughts must have been fairly blatant. "Ya know, human women aren't that different from female demons. Mind if I tag along?"   
  
I glared at him in disgust. "You try to gut my friend, what makes you think I won't kill you the moment I get a chance?"  
  
He tugged my earlobe in what I assumed was an affectionate manner. "Would you really want to?"   
  
I shrugged and kept on walking. If all else failed I could sic Emma on him. -in- More is comin. Take the time to review if you liked it. Feed your writers! 


End file.
